Lost and Reeducated
by ReyaP30
Summary: Sydney is kidnapped to be reeducated. Will Adrian be able to save her, before she is convinced he is evil? Is it possible for an Alchemist like Sydney to fall for a Moroi like Adrian?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Adrian, wine and a pinball machine were the last things I remembered. I woke up in a dark, unfamiliar room. I squinted to see the dark shadowy, silhouettes of my fingers. When I had become accustomed to the light, I look around. It was a bedroom, and I was lying in the bed. It was made of dark mahogany and the sheets felt like pure silk. The room was filled with large, and filled with pieces of antique furniture. Whoever owned this house was clearly rich.

I raised myself to a sitting position and winced. My head spun, propelling me back down. My body felt sore and I couldn't move. A gasp of pain escaped my lips. Then someone came into the room. A woman dressed in jeans and a loose fitting shirt walked in holding a tray of food. I panicked, because I didn't know who she was. She scared me. She had dark brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail. Her face was twisted in a crude form of a smile, as if she didn't know how to curve her lips up and look genuinely happy. The effect made her look insane. Then her eyes shattered my very being. There was no expression in them at all. She was walking; living, breathing, and she obviously had strength. But inside she was dead. Her spirit and free will had been crushed.

She held out the tray and I took it, not wanting to offend her. It contained a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of water. A surge of hunger passed through me and I devoured the food. Each bite made me realize I had been starving. I probably hadn't eaten a while. But that idea was absurd, seeing as I had eaten the previous night with Adrian on our date.

Suddenly I felt exhausted. They must have put something in the water. But why would they do that? And who exactly were "they"? Where was I? I beginning to become lucid, but I was also falling asleep. I tried to force myself to stay awake but it was no use. I laid down into the silk sheets and fell asleep.

No sooner had I closed my eyes, I was back in the room. Down to every last stitch in the silk sheets, it looked so real. But I knew it wasn't. I had been drugged and had fallen asleep. The door swung open and two people entered.

One I had only seen from a distance, and she was looking particularly regal at the moment, as she was Vasilisa Dragomir. The newly elected Moroi Queen was standing there in my dream.

The other one was someone I had recently become very fond of, if not more. Adrian Ivashkov in all his glory was standing before me as well.

He walked over to a chair and sat down in it, smiling lazily up at me. The queen gave him a dirty look that somehow had a hint of amusement in it.

"We're not here to lounge around, Adrian. She could wake up at any minute." Lissa snapped at him.

He rolled his eyes at her, but nevertheless hopped up from his seat. Then giving me a look over, he gave a low whistle.

"Damn Sage, you can't dress yourself in real life but in your dreams, you do pretty good." He said.

I looked down at myself. Instead of wearing my usual ensemble of slacks and a blouse, I was wearing something I wouldn't even be caught dead in. It was a long dark purple, skirt that went down all the way to my ankles, and I was wearing a white tank top to go with it. It wasn't as completely gorgeous as Adrian was making it out to be. But then again, I was pleased it showed him that I could pull off a un-Sydney like outfit.

"Am I really in a spirit dream right now?" She asked Lissa, ignoring Adrian's comment.

Lissa nodded. "Yes, and you need to tell us where you are so we can rescue you."

"I'm in this room. Other than that I don't know where I am. What do you mean by rescue me?" I asked realizing what she had just said.

Adrian walked closer to me and grabbed my hands. "Sage, you were kidnapped after we walked out of the arcade. Do you remember that? Dimitri tried to save you but he couldn't without killing the humans that did it."

"How long have I been gone?" I asked, starting to panic even more. How could I have not remembered something like this?

"Two days, and you haven't slept for those two days either. We kept trying to reach you." Lissa said.

I frowned. If hadn't been sleeping when I had woken up in this room than what had I been doing?

"I can't remember anything." I said, panting. I was trying really hard not to cry, especially in front of the Queen of Vampires, and a vampire prince/lord that I really liked.

Adrian turned to Lissa. "Can you leave us alone for a few?"

Lissa gave me a sympathetic look and walked out of the door and presumably out of the dream.

"Sage we really need to know where you are." He asked pleadingly.

I shook my head unable to look at him. "I told you I don't know."

He tilted my head up and our eyes met. If there was one thing that was exceedingly sexy about Adrian Ivashkov, it was his eyes. Not that he had money, not that he in general was good looking, not even the fact that he was a part of the royal community.

It was his eyes. They were an impossible shade of green. They held emotions no one would ever know he was capable of feeling. People thought he was a party animal that drank too much. I saw someone who poured his soul into whatever he did. I saw someone who had their heart broken too many times. I saw someone who was funny, slightly crazy, but incredibly amazing.

Our faces grew closer and closer, until our noses touched. But then, the warmth of his skin against mine disappeared. He had drawn back, giving me that intense stare that stirred something inside me.

"I'll find you Sydney, no matter what it takes." He said.

I must have had a doubtful expression on my face.

"I don't care what anyone else thinks. I will personally find you and harm whoever took you from me. Then our first kiss won't have to be in your dreams." He said winking as he said the last part.

I rolled my eyes at him and settled for pulling him into a tight embrace. Then everything started to fade. The room was slowly disappearing.

"You're waking up. As soon as you find out where you are try to fall asleep." Adrian said, quickly. I nodded, showing him that I had heard.

He vanished and I opened my eyes and stared up at a pair that looked exactly like mine.

They were my father's. My father had kidnapped me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy chapter 2! Reviews tell me how much you like it!**

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><p>I couldn't tell how long I had been sitting in the cold metal chair. Time was inconsequential now. It drifted by, neither slowly, nor quickly. I felt another slap across my face. The blow left a numbing sensation, and then it began to sting. I couldn't even bring my hands up to shield my face. They were shackled to the chair behind my back. The Alchemists still left me with the ability to see.<p>

I glared up at my attacker. My father, Jared Sage. His face was contorted in fury, his eyes filled with hatred. No matter what happened I couldn't let our relations, keep me from what was right and wrong. I had made up my mind. There was nothing wrong with vampires. They had cared about me more so then anyone else.

After all none of my Alchemists friends had promised to find me and save me no matter what happened to them.

"Do you like vampires?" Jared asked me, breaking my train of thought. There was disgust in his voice.

I wasn't going to let him win. I looked him in the eye and tried to act braver than I felt. "Yes." I answered.

My father snapped his fingers and two other Alchemists came into the room. One of them held a long knife.

My father repeated the question. "Do you like vampires?"

I nodded, afraid to open my mouth as I watched the Alchemist with the knife. Jared Sage made a gesture and the man with the knife came closer. I drew myself up in the chair. I wasn't going to scream or cry. I was going to be strong. Try to be like Rose, I was going to be fearless and unbreakable. I was going to fall asleep as soon as I know where I was. I was going to make it back to Adrian. I clenched my teeth as the blade cut me. Ruby red crystals of blood flowed from the incision. I felt the pain. There was so much pain.

"Were you involved with Lord Adrian Ivashkov?" her father asked.

"Yes." I replied. Then came more cuts and more pain. I could handle it. They weren't aiming for any major arteries or veins. This was a torture technique for brainwashing. I was being reeducated. Why else could I expect?

"Do you love him?" her father asked.

I hesitated. What kind of a question was that? Why did they need to know? I didn't even know and right now wasn't really the right time to think about it. Instead I gave a comment that was sure to provoke him.

"For as long as we both shall live." I said mockingly.

Instead of cuts, I was physically abused. The two men hit me everywhere, punching and slapping, and my body throbbed in pain. I remained still, not complaining, not even one grunt of pain. I couldn't give them that satisfaction. But it eventually became too much so I feigned unconsciousness.

They stopped hitting me and I heard their feet scuffling backwards. The door opened and then closed. Someone had walked in. The footsteps circled the chair I was in. The person's eyes seemed to boring into me.

Then the person spoke. "She's not going to give in, is she?"

The person was a woman, middle aged, and her British accent indicated she was from London branch of Alchemists.

"No I don't think so." Her father said.

He sounded a little nervous, as if he didn't expect this woman to show up. She seemed to be in charge. Feet shuffled around me, and I could tell I was being surrounded in a circle. I was beginning to become a little sleepy, but I had to stay awake in case I found out where I was.

"We're going to move her to The Headquarters." The woman said, professionally.

"The one in Miami?" My father asked.

"Is there any other Headquarters, Jared?" The woman snapped.

" No, mother. I'll take her to Miami." My father said.

My grandmother was in this room. I had never met her. I didn't even know she was alive. My father had always kept her a secret. But there was no time to think about it. I knew where I was going to be, and I had to sleep and tell Adrian as soon as possible.

I let the wave of fatigue wash over me and I was abruptly in the room I was currently in again. I was still in the cold metal chair, with my hands chained.

Adrian walked through the door looking extremely angry. He surveyed me closely and banged his fist against the wall.

"Calm down." I told him.

"Calm down!" He repeated. "You want me to calm down? Have you seen what they've done to you? Damn it, I'm going to rip them into a million pieces, feed them to alligators, burn the alligators,-"

"There's really no need for animal cruelty in a time like this." I said interrupting his cute rant.

His head snapped toward me. "Where are you? I can't stand not knowing where you are" he said frustrated.

"I don't know but I do know that my father and the Alchemists have me and they're sending me to the Alchemist Headquarters in Miami." I told him.

His expression turned into disbelief. "Your own people did this to you?" He reached his hand forward and touched a bruise on my forehead. I winced at the contact, so he slowly drew his hand back. Then he unchained my hands.

"I can't believe this. If anyone's going to chain you up in shackles, it's going to be me." He said winking at me.

I blushed furiously, knowing what he had just insinuated. Then said something without thinking. "My dad asked me if I loved you."

Adrian met my eyes, resolute, filled with curiosity. "Do you?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know."

He nodded, understanding. He knelt down then gripping my hands; he rubbed circles in the middle of my palms.

"If you were with me, you wouldn't have all these bruise over your body." He murmured.

"Oh I don't know. There are a couple of things you and I could do that involve bruises." I commented, hoping he would take the joke.

"Not ever unless you were ready." He said, while the corners of his lips curved upward. I jumped into his arms hoping he knew how much that meant to me

Then like last time, the room began to fade. I awoke with a start, with sunlight blinding my eyes. I had been sitting in a car, but someone was pushing me out of it. It seemed like I had reached Miami.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey so this is chapter three! This story is in total six chapters long, and I have everything done. If I have time I will update, but my AP History exam is in a month so you guys might have to wait.**

**Thank you to AussieGirl, kirary, GoldenMorning, Tsuki no Talia for reviewing!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>I was beginning to grow accustomed to torture. Some of it was normal, but some of it was unusual. They would strap me to a chair to be beaten and cut, while another Alchemist with a monotonous voice would tell me what I had been raised to believe. He would say that vampire were evil, unnatural, unworthy of living, whether they were Moroi, dhampirs or Strigoi. I knew this wasn't true. I thought of Rose, Dimitri, Adrian, Jill, Eddie, Sonya, Lissa, Christian, and Mia. They were my friends. Then there was Adrian, who was more than a friend. Adrian who promised he would find me.<p>

That thought got me through the torture. It made me hold on for a little while longer.

Someone pulled a blindfold over my eyes, and the beating and cuttings stopped. My body still throbbed with pain as an after effect. I let my sense of hearing take over. The door open, and a pair of high heels clacked on the floor stopping a few feet away from me.

"Why do you resist, my dear?" A voice asked in a crisp British accent.

It was my grandmother, who couldn't even have the decency of having me look at her. Apparently I had disgraced my family that much.

"Because grandma, you and all the other Alchemists are wrong about vampires." I said venomously.

"I'm going to tell you a story. It's quite like your own, except this person never got caught for being a vampire lover." She said.

"If the person never got caught, how do you know the story?" I asked.

"Because I can keep a secret, and one more question. Is it true you are involved with Lord Adrian Ivashkov?" She said.

This question bothered me. I was here for liking vampires, not so the Alchemists could get in my love life.

"Yes. Why is everyone so eager to know that Adrian Ivashkov is my boyfriend?" I asked, frustrated.

She ignored me then sighed heavily, and began to speak.

"There was a young Alchemist like you; she was ambitious, driven, and self assured. She was very firm in her beliefs and she was sure of her path. The Alchemists was experienced to a limit. She had never actually encountered vampires. This was a complex for her, when she had been assigned to finding the spy selling secrets to the Mazur crime family in Russia, from inside the Moroi Royal Court. So she went with reservations. She had heard terrible tales about Moroi as well as Strigoi. When she got there, she was amazed at how human these creatures seemed. They felt emotions like fear, happiness, anxiety and love. The Alchemist was beginning to see vampires weren't as dreadful as she thought. She formed a few friendships with them as she struggled to do her duty. One particular friendship she grew comfortable with was the youngest son of the Ozera family. They grew closer and closer until they fell in love. They both knew it wouldn't last but they couldn't give up the hope that their love for each other would prevail in the end. Eventually she caught the spy, and went further into the ranks of Alchemists. She wanted to keep in contact with the man she loved, but his mother found out. She forced them to sever contact with each other. He became angry and used his gift on the Alchemist. Half her face burned away. The next day he was engaged to another Moroi woman. It seemed he didn't care for her, because if he did he would have fought for her. But he didn't."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. The story was tragic. I could understand how much this story paralleled mine. The Ozera man in this story was nothing like Adrian, though. Adrian was with me all the way. Adrian was fighting for me now. He was on his way and he didn't care what anyone else thought.

"First and foremost, Sydney, I am your grandmother and I want you to know what happens when you give your heart to a royal Moroi. Don't suffer the way she did. She still suffers after all this time." My grandmother said.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

She stepped forward, until she was right in front of me. The blindfold came off, and I lifted my eyes to look at her. One side of her face was aged yet beautiful, like an older version of me. The other side was scarred and torn. My grandmother was the Alchemist from the story.

"It was you." I gasped.

She nodded. "It seems falling in love with vampires, runs in the family."

"What's your name?" I asked suddenly. I had to know, and see if Christian knew the story. He was an Ozera and it was probably his grandfather my grandmother had fallen in love with.

"Cora Melrose." She replied.

The look of shock on my face amused her. Then her amused was replaced with confusion. A loud bang could be heard from outside the room. There were several shouts and noises of commotion. My father came bursting in the room. He grabbed me by my hair and slammed my head on the table.

"How did they find us?" He shouted in my ear.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I shouted back. I honestly had no idea what he was talking about.

He grabbed my again and shoved me into the wall. I didn't have any strength to fight him back. My energy had been depleted since he had kidnapped my. So I laid there and let him punch my head over and over again. I felt the blood run down my face, but I couldn't do anything but feel the pain.

"Enough, Jared." My grandmother's voice said sharply.

My father glared at me an jabbed a finger in my face. "You will never see another vampire again."

"I think, Mr. Sage, you were trying to say was "You will never see another Alchemist again." A very familiar voice said.

I managed to stand up and peer around my father. Adrian and Rose were standing in the doorway, both looking ready to fight. My father pulled out a gun and pointed it at them.

Rose shook her head and leaned towards Adrian. "I already got shot once by my best friend's, boyfriend's aunt and now I'm about to be shot by my second best friend's dad. What is the world coming to?"

"Daddy, please don't shoot them." I begged. My grandmother was nowhere in sight as I looked around the room.

Adrian glanced at me. At the blood, pouring out my nose and mouth. He looked heartbroken for a second, and then an expression of fury contorted his face. Adrian lunged at my dad, and I closed my eyes as a single gunshot rang through the air. A sob escaped my lips. I didn't want Adrian to die, especially not for me. I opened my eyes again, expecting to see Adrian's dead body on the floor.

Instead he was looking at me, or more specifically at my chest. Only Adrian would think of sex before almost dying. But as I followed his gaze it made sense.

Blood was pouring out of my chest. A lot of blood. My breathing started to come heavily and I started babbling words of utter nonsense. For once in my life I had no idea what to do. My vision began to gray along the edges of my view.

Then everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here it is guys! As usual read and review and some of you guessed what was going to happen so congratulations that you got it right.**

**Thank you to those who already reviewed; you guys are AWESOME! And thank you to every one that followed me on Twitter.**

**Oh and my exam went very well if you were wondering. :)**

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><p>I opened my eyes and found a bright light directly above me. I squinted trying to see through all the fuzzy black spots coming into my vision. I tried to raise my hand to cover my face but I dropped immediately. A sharp pain coursed through me, originating at my chest. Then I remembered I had been shot. My father had shot me in the chest. True he had been aiming for Adrian but the bullet had pierced my heart. I picked my head up and confirmed I was in some type of health care facility. It looked like the room I had been in three days ago, only it seemed friendlier. The curtains were drawn open letting the sunlight flood through. I was wearing a hospital gown, in a hospital bed with IV strapped to my forearm.<p>

The door opened and Rose walked in with a huge smile on her face.

"Hey there Sydney." She said.

"I've never been happier to see you in my life." I said back.

She laughed. "What? No evil creature of the night crap anymore."

I shook my head, a smile forming on my face. "You have Adrian to thank for that."

The door opened again and a voice said "Rose? Lissa needs you for a sec."

She turned back to the speaker and said "Thanks Christian. Could you stay with her? She's awake now."

"I know. Adrian won't shut up about it but Lissa needs him for the negotiations."

Rose left and a few seconds later the face of Christian Ozera came into my view. He had icy blue eyes and midnight black hair, and was very attractive. I wondered if his grandfather had looked like that.

"Were you close to your grandfather?" I asked him. I caught him off guard. He looked confused for a moment then answered me.

"I guess. He always gave me relationship advice even when I was five years old. It didn't help that I was an awkward child because of my parents."

"Did he ever mention a woman named Cora Melrose?" I asked.

Christian's eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know that name?"

I didn't answer but waited for his response first. I wasn't ready to tell him that she was my grandmother.

"He loved her but couldn't be with her. He always kept a picture with him of her. Her name was the last thing he said before he died, telling me to keep her picture safe. I still have it, knowing their story I would never lose it." He said.

He pulled out his wallet and showed me the picture. It was a much younger version of my grandmother. Her face was whole and happy, radiating pure joy. Her short blonde half framed her face. Her skin was full and flawless. My grandmother had been truly happy with Christian's grandfather. If I could persuade her that he never stopped loving her, than she would understand what it was like for me and Adrian.

"Cora Melrose is my grandmother. I met her when I was being reeducated." I told.

His face turned white and pale. "Then you better make sure you and Adrian don't split. Don't suffer the way our grandparents had to."

I paused. I had just admitted to myself that I loved Adrian.

A loud cry of joy sounded from the outside. Then a voice yelled, "Calm down Adrian!"

The door opened again and Christian went to talk to whoever it was. I suddenly felt tired laying there but my mind was too excited to sleep. I got restless. My body had remained to still after this time. I wanted to move, get up, do something, and take a shower. I opened my eyes and saw Sonya Karp standing over me. Before I could say anything, she lifted her hand and touched my forehead. I began to feel rejuvenated. A burst of energy went through me. I didn't feel any pain anymore. I was being healed with Spirit.

"Your mother is here at Court and she wishes to see you." She said.

I immediately sprung up to see my mother. She needed to know what Jared had done. She needed to know I was going to change my last name. She needed to know I was probably never going to see them again. My mother was sitting in a chair talking to Abe Mazur. I groaned hoping he wouldn't tell her about the deal I made with him. I walked forward until I was right in front of her. My two sisters stood next to Abe. Carly, looking relieved and Zoe looking angry with me as usual.

My mom looked close to tears. "I know I won't be able to see you again. I just wanted to know if you were safe. I'm leaving your father. Your grandmother called me and told me everything."

"Mr. Mazur told me what you did for me." Carly whispered.

The two of them started crying while Zoe looked as if she was going to kill me.

"Mom and Dad are getting a divorce. The Alchemists are investigating us and I'm going to have to take your place. It's all your fault. You just had to go running off with these vampires." She spat.

"Well then it's a good thing I'm worth it." Adrian's voice cut in.

I turned around to see Adrian smiling at me. Before I could stop myself, I ran to him. He was there, and it was real. Not like in my dreams. As soon as I reached, he lifted me off the ground. It was completely like those cliché reunions you see in movies. But I didn't care because our love was forbidden and that was cliché in itself.

"I told you I'd come for you, Sage." He said.

I looked back at my family, more to mom. "I love you guys." Then they left.

Then I turned back to Adrian. "It's actually Sydney Melrose now."

I hugged him one more time as Lissa said "Your auras are blinding me. Is it the bond?"

I detached myself from Adrian and turned to face her. "What bond?"

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><p><strong>IMPORTANT PLEASE READ!<strong>

**So I was thinking about doing a spinoff of this story with Cora Melrose and Christian's grandfather. My brother(who prompts all of my stories) thinks it would be too OC, but I wanted to know if you all would read it. So mention it in a review or message me if you would read it. Thank you guys! I love all of you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5! YAY and Enjoy!**

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><p>The formal Council meeting to discuss an upcoming war with the Alchemists was scheduled for today. Lissa had wanted to give me a few days to get used to knowing I was bonded with Adrian. Our bond was the most unusual one. Instead of me being able to see in Adrian's mind, he could see into mine. He was no longer bonded to Jill either. No one knew how this was possible. There had been no documented incident in which the one who had died could not look into the spirit user's mind. There was also no record of any bond breaking after another one had been made. The involved parties did not seem to mind even though the event had shaken everyone. Jill was relieved to be free from Adrian's mind, to which she was immediately guilty for. Adrian was thrilled to be able to look inside mine, and I didn't mind either.<p>

We sat in a large circular room filled with both young and old people, involved in politics. I had never been the reason of a war and did not intend to be ever again. Hopefully we would be able to convince the Alchemists that I was not worth causing a war over. I didn't want to go back to them and I certainly had not been kidnapped if they could believe that. As Rose had said, "They're a bunch of God fearing, prejudiced psychos." She just made it sound like they were the KKK. They were worse than that. Not that it mattered to Rose. She probably wasn't afraid of God.

"The Council is now being called to order." Lissa called out. The low hum of chattering immediately stopped as everyone turned to face their Queen.

"The Alchemists have threatened war against us, due to the illegal rescue mission Guardian Hathaway and Lord Ivashkov arranged four days ago. Yes, it is true I privately approved of the action, but now we must face the consequences." She said, addressing the first issue.

"I believe the Alchemists will act rationally, if we propose a period of negotiation." I said.

Lissa nodded. "The only thing they want is Sydney and that is only because they believe she has become mentally unstable and cannot be trusted to know what she wants. If we can convince them that she is perfectly fine and she has truly chosen to trust us they might change their minds."

"Ask to speak specifically to Cora Melrose." I told her.

The other council members agreed still captivated by Lissa's natural ability to make authoritative decisions. We all silently exited the room and headed for our duties. I went to a courtyard and sat down on a stone bench facing a fountain. Everything was going wrong. I had never expected my relationship with Adrian was going to be easy. I knew we would receive cruel insults, prejudice and societal problems. I had never expected a war.

It made me feel like Helen of Troy. She was known as the woman that started a war. I had no intention of letting any of this take place. I would not be the reason for any lives lost or spilt blood. I had always thought that Helen was wrong and that she should have just gone back to Menelaus. The Greeks were right all this time. Now that I was in her place it was a whole different perspective. She loved Paris, though they barely knew each other. It was the same for me and Adrian. We shared an inexplicable bond that made us feel so strongly about each other; that we would die for each other. We would fight the world together no matter what happens to anyone else.

The problem was that I did care about what happens to everyone else. To a certain extent, Helen of Troy did as well. She had tried to escape back to Greeks the moment they came to war with the Trojans. But her love for Paris, and her Trojan family made her stay. I didn't know if I was worth this. Adrian started a war over me, but there was nothing special about me at all. I was a nerd. I was nowhere near as beautiful as Helen of Troy, and I certainly did not believe that the Alchemists wanted me back anyway. I wasn't valuable to them anymore seeing as I had betrayed them beyond belief.

A figure sat down next to me on the stone bench. It was Adrian. He must have heard my mental rant.

"I wish I could show you how special you are." He said.

"Reverse the bond." I joked.

He suddenly sat up. A flicker of excitement flashed through his face. But it was wrong. There was something maniacal about the way he was acting.

"Reverse the bond that's all we have to do. Isn't this great! I have been waiting for this forever. "He began shouting.

It was the effect spirit was having on him. It had taken a lot of energy to bring me back from the dead and had sometimes had strange untamed outbursts between periods of lucidity. This one seemed to be a happy outburst, but as soon I thought it he turned on me, angrily.

"Of course I'm happy. Why wouldn't I be? You think I'm crazy, don't you? I'm not crazy! Do you hear me? I'M NOT CRAZY!" He yelled.

"I don't think you're crazy." I said calmly.

He began talking to the very comfortable looking ficus next to the bench. "They thought I was crazy, you know. When I told my mom I could see a person's mood because of the colors around their head. The doctor told me that it was a reaction that I hadn't developed an element control yet. Everyone was laughing at me…"

"Adrian, I'm here and I don't think you are crazy." I said softly. He seemed to finally notice that I was there and he sat next to me again. His lucidity had returned.

"I yelled at you, didn't I? I'm so sorry Sydney. I'm a horrible person." He said, apologizing.

"You're not a horrible person. You're a person, who horrible things have happened to." I said.

He snorted and watched the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, spurt up in rhythmic intervals.

"One day, I'm going to take you out on a date, so we can get to know each other better, without there being any conflict about it." He said matter of factly.

"I'll be looking forward to that day." I said back with a smile on my face


	6. Chapter 6

**Yay! Second to last chapter! Of course I had to be stupid and forget to explain the reverse bond, so the next and final chapter will wrap the story up. Thank you to all of my reviewers, GoldenMorning, AussieGirl16, rainy(AP means Advanced Placement), , kirary, Tsuki no Talia, ButtercupluvsJACE,Sparkeliscious, sageivashkov, cillyadrian, and YelloBubbles! Your reviews make my day!**

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><p>Two Alchemists entered the room with stony faces. My grandmother was among them. She had gone through what I was going through now. Surely she would protect me and respect my wishes. I was her granddaughter, and she had saved me from being beaten to death by my father. Whatever I wanted she would take my choice into account.<p>

The throne room was large and heavily decorated with artifacts from all the Kings and Queens of the past. On the throne, sat Lissa Dragomir the new Moroi Queen who had thankfully ordered a rescue mission on my behalf.

My grandmother and Miss Stanton sat in two chairs in front of Lissa. Lissa stood and addresses them calmly.

"I understand it is your wish that we return Miss Sydney Sage to your custody." she spoke.

Miss Stanton saw that as her opportunity to jump into action. "Your Highness, Ms. Sage has betrayed our cause and we have her legal custody. She will return to us and be dealt with for her traitorous actions."

Adrian grabbed my hand and I suddenly realized that I felt scared. He must have realized it before we did. Although Rose had been teaching me blocking techniques, I hadn't been able to fully block Adrian from my mind, but only partially. It didn't really matter because I wanted him to look in my mind. I wanted him to truly know what I felt all the time.

Lissa smirked and knowing a string of arguments that were able to protect my free will.

"Miss Sage wishes to remain here at Court. She has already renounced her title as an Alchemist, and has gone insofar as to change her name legally. As for your custody argument, Ms. Sage has enlightened me to the fact she has signed no legal documents stating her unwavering allegiance. Furthermore, Ms. Sage is of eighteen years of age, which in this country, means she is legally an adult, which gives her liberty to choose for herself, where her residence may be." Lissa argued.

Miss Stanton paled at Lissa's speech. It was quite obvious she had not expected Lissa to be well versed or as intelligent as she was. She leaned toward my grandmother and they seemed to be arguing in whispers. Finally after ten minutes, my grandmother stood up.

"Sydney may stay. However we want her to sign a document stating that she will not participate in Alchemist related activities, though she may use her skills if in peril." She said.

Lissa nodded and took the document Miss Stanton held out to her. Lissa handed it to me. I took a pen out of my pocket and right before I signed, Adrian hissed, "Wait."

I paused and looked up at him. His intense green eyes looked back at me with uncertainty. "Are you sure you want to do this? Give up everything you've ever known just for me?"

I signed, giving him my answer. He relaxed in relief but remained unsure. He was unsure of himself, not knowing he was pretty much one of the most amazing people I had ever met.

Miss Stanton and Cora left to go. They slowly walked down the throne room towards the door. A voice rang out.

"Cora, wait!" Christian had called.

She turned around in surprise. Once she got a look at Christian her mouth dropped. She covered it with her hand. No doubt she was seeing Christian's grandfather from within him. She quickly walked over to him, leaving Miss Stanton eying them suspiciously, but confused. Christian and my grandmother spoke for a while in hushed tones. Bit by bit you could see her breaking down, into tears.

When Christian offered her what was probably the photograph, she refused, shaking her head. She spoke loudly then, "I always see him, you keep it, my dear. And thank you, I never would have known if you hadn't told me."

They left and the tension broke. The Alchemists would never bother on my account again. Adrian tugged my hand and pulled me closer to him.

"You're safe, Melrose." He whispered triumphantly, emphasizing my new last name. I couldn't bear to take the name of my father after what he had put me through. Now that I had a new name, I could start over, as if I was a new person.

I smiled and put my arms around his neck. "Yeah. No war. No Alchemist duties. We have no responsibilities at the moment."

"I have something for you. Like a victory present." He said.

He walked us both out of the throne room and towards the courtyard. It was just that plain courtyard, we had talked in yesterday. The fountain and stone benches were sitting there and the ficus that had become Adrian's temporary friend was there to.

"Why are we here?" I asked.

"If I recall correctly, a couple of weeks ago, I visited your dream." He started.

Of course he had. He had been trying to rescue me from the Alchemists. But I also thought he was trying to make some kind of point, so I let him continue.

"And in that dream, you tried to kiss me. But I told you, that it should be done right. Not in your dreams." He said.

I hadn't been expecting this. Of course, I had wanted him to kiss me, but now that we were actually going to do it, I was extremely nervous. No to mention inexperienced.

"What if I'm bad at it?" I asked him. I was sure my face was turning red with embarrassment.

"You won't be. I don't think there's anything in this world you'd be bad at." He said, cupping my face.

He leaned towards me, bending down, because he was taller. I could feel the heat of his body against mine. My heart started beating erratically in both anxiety and excitement. I closed my eyes. His lips met mine, and suddenly it was like something had been unleashed inside me. Fireworks went off below my eyelids, and I suddenly knew what to do; how to react, kiss him back, where to touch him. I was intoxicated by it. It had been a release of how much I felt about him, projected, well, onto him. He was everything, there was nothing else. Adrian pulled me tighter. All I could think of was Adrian.

He was amazing. He was a talented painter, he was a known player, and the kind of person that could make you go from extremely happy to extremely annoyed within seconds. He was caring, incredibly good looking, had deep green eyes that held every emotion he felt, and he was mine.

We pulled apart after what seemed forever and sat down on one of the benches. I felt a little dizzy so I leaned on Adrian for support, my head on his chest. His heartbeat was as fast as mine was. Adrian, was just as nervous and excited as I was.

"That was amazing." I gasped out, not knowing how else to describe it.

"Of course it was. You're amazing. I'm amazing. It's only natural that we'd be amazing together." Adrian said.

"Let's be amazing again." I said, pulling him to me. He softly laughed before allowing me to kiss him again.

I knew that even though we had so much more to know about each other, we'd be happy together. It was as Rose said. Adrian needed someone to balance him. He hadn't ever dreamed that I would be the one to do so. I hadn't ever expected to care so much about vampires, especially Adrian. Sometimes things happen that no one can control. Sometimes you just had to open your heart and feel. If I hadn't I wouldn't have ever met Adrian, and that would have been my biggest regret. We balanced each other, we were amazing together, and now that I wasn't an Alchemist, we had all the time in the world for each other.


	7. Chapter 7

**Whew! Last Chapter! I know most of you have probably given up on this because of having to wait for so long for updates, but this story was difficult to do. I was really into it when I first started, but as soon as I wrote my other story, Paint Me/The Imperfect Painting, I pretty much decided this story sucked. But I had to finish it and here it is. Le finale. Read and Review and Thank You very much for reviewing! I appreciate the attention this has gotten. But Please read Paint Me because it's really so much better.**

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><p>I sat on the stool lean against the granite topped bar in my kitchen. New kitchen, new apartment, new life. Sydney Melrose was now a student at UC Berkeley, majoring in Environmental Design. I had not lost my love for architecture, so it would be practical to be qualified for my designs. Though I already knew most of the physics and mathematics involved in such practices, most employers like to see a degree. Looking around the small one bedroom apartment, I smiled. My life had been going smoothly, there were no worries; only a sense of loss. I usually had the weight of responsibilities pressing down on me, but now there was nothing. A scuffling sound came from the bedroom, and I rolled my eyes. Adrian had been helping me unpack and then suggestively insisted he break in my bed.<p>

"Adrian, don't get too comfortable. Sonya and Dimitri are coming soon to pick you up." I called. He had to go back to Palm Springs to finish up his art classes. Who would have thought we would be study, working on improving our lives.

He appeared suddenly, walking down the hallway towards me.

"I wish you weren't this far from Palm Springs, Sydney. I'm gonna miss you so much." His said, his green eyes pouting.

My heart ached. Even though he hadn't wanted to let me go, he knew that it was what I wanted. He was even paying for my college education. We both knew we wouldn't be able to see each other very often either. It was a seven hour drive from Palm Spring to Berkeley or vice versa. We compromised on spirit dreams whenever I wasn't busy at night. I didn't think I would be. I understood advanced and applied physics like they are the ABC's. I pulled him closer to me, taking in his scent, the feel of his body against mine, and I loved every bit of his.

I tipped my head back so that I could look up at him. He was quite a bit taller than me. Almost at once, his lips found mine. He kissed me, slowly, gently; saying goodbye. My heart speed up and pressed myself myself against him until there was no space between us at all. He growled and my heart melt. His hands slid up my arms until he was cupping my neck, causing a tingling sensation that caused my whole body to react. My hands wrapped themselves behind his neck. Our kiss consumed me, molded me into a feverish, animalistic version of me. His lips moved against mine softly, yet they were undeniably dominant. There was nothing I wanted more at that moment but him. His long fingers began tracing my neck, and and I found it difficult to concentrate. Then, it was just pure instinct.

A loud noise, startled both of us, breaking our kiss. I had become accustomed to kissing Adrian, but somehow we managed to lose ourselves each time. Two months ago, during our first kiss, Adrian had been the one to show self control.

"What was that?" I asked, breathlessly.

"I think Sonya and Dimitri are here." He replied just as breathless. I smiled.

Walking over to the room that attached to the kitchen, I opened the door. Only it wasn't Sonya and Dimitri. It was Rose. She pounced on me, knocking me backwards, but twisted me so that she landed on her back. A sharp pain, came from my neck as I settled down.

"What was that for?" I yelled. My hand shot to my neck, and I saw blood trickling from the wound. I got off of her, helping her up.

She took out a vial, which seemed to be filled with blood. Taking a knife that I assumed was dripping with my blood, she mixed the two together. A white light flashed as the two liquids made contact. Rose smiled triumphantly.

"Did you see that? I was right! Christian owes my fifty bucks." She said excitedly. Adrian's familiar footsteps came into the room.

"Rose! Please tell me there was a legitimate reason for knifing my girlfriend?" He said loudly.

Rose looked at me, then Adrian, then back at me. "Lissa didn't tell you, did she?"

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Lissa tells me everything except for the specifics of her relationship with Christian. I really don't want to know about that stuff. But before you explain anything, would you like to come in? Wash the blood off your knife?"

I stared openmouthed. How could I have forgotten to be as polite as allowing her to come in? Granted I had been distracted, but usually my manners were most exemplary. Rose walked in and set her knife in the kitchen sink, rinsing it with water. Adrian and I sat down at the bar. Once Rose was finished, she stowed the knife in her jacket and sat down across from us. Adrian grabbed my hand. Rose saw this and smiled.

"So remember about two months ago, you guys bonded?" She asked. I nodded. I wouldn't forget something like that but it wasn't like I was the one experiencing its effects. Things were pretty much normal for me.

"Lissa asked me, Sonya, Dimitri, and Christian to investigate why the bond might have reversed. The sooner, the better, since you two are going to live among humans pretty soon. So we began experimenting. It was hard since we only had your scenario to work around, but long story short, we found out why." She said.

My hand was now gripping Adrian' s very tightly. "Why? Why is it reversed?"

"There's magic in your blood. Protective magic to repel anything that could potentially harm you. The bond certainly would harm you, if Adrian's darkness seeped through it." Rose said.

"But then, why did it even create the bond? Why not just repel the bond completely? And what do you mean there's magic in my blood? There can't be. I was an Alchemist and Alchemists don't deal in magic." I said frantically. I really didn't want to panic. These were details of my old life. Sydney Sage was the one that dealt with problems like these. Sydney Melrose was supposed to be drama free.

Rose shook her head. "These are all speculations, but they're pretty good guesses so listen. The bond had to be created because Adrian gave you life, and that is the most sacred bond. So your magic rebounded it on him, to protect you. As for magic being in your blood, we guessed that they're putting more in those tattoos then they're telling you."

It all made sense, even if they were just guesses. And at this point, I didn't care. What had been done was done, and it was time to deal with it. I got up, hugged Rose and thanked her for her help. Adrian came up behind me and squished us all into a hug.

"Group hug." He said playfully. Me and Rose giggle as we let go of each other.

"So Adrian and I should get going. Lissa needs me back." Rose said awkwardly.

"What about Sonya and Dimitri?" I asked. I was a bit uncomfortable with my boyfriend riding in a car with the woman he used to love for seven hours.

Adrian kissed my cheek, sensing my thoughts through the bond. "We'll behave. Besides, I'd only want to get naughty with you."

I blushed, then heard Rose make a gagging sound. "Um ew, now I definitely feel sorry for you guys having to deal with me and Dimitri."

I rolled my eyes, and gave Adrian a quick peck on the lips. He and Rose headed towards the door. He turned back once and said, "See you tonight?"

A faint smile reached my lips. "In your dreams." I joked.

A chuckled, gave me his customary wink, and was gone in the next second. I wasn't worried he would cheat on me. He was Adrian. The most decent, respectful, charming, sexy, Royal Moroi vampire, and he was mine. He was a part of my life. My new life, in which I had a new home, new purpose, new name, new everything. And for the first time in my life; I was happy.

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><p><strong>Remember to review and read my other story, Paint Me and review that one too!<strong>


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